It is known to provide a door trim panel assembly for a vehicle such as an automotive vehicle to present an aesthetically pleasing appearance in an occupant compartment of the automotive vehicle. The door trim panel assembly includes a plurality of separate components with each component having a specific function. The components typically include a door trim substrate, sound absorber, water barrier, insert, armrest, and map pocket closeout and side impact blocks. The components are assembled together and attached to a door trim substrate by several different conventional processes including adhesives, heat staking, sonic welding and fasteners. The door trim panel assembly is then mounted to an inner door panel of a door for the automotive vehicle by suitable means such as fasteners.
Although the above door trim panel assembly has worked well, it is desirable to reduce the number of components and costs associated with the purchase and assembly of the door trim panel assembly. It is also desirable to provide a door trim panel assembly with reduced mass, tooling and equipment per vehicle. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide an improved method of making a door trim panel assembly for attachment to an inner panel of a door for an automotive vehicle.